Gravhounds Playtest Access

Octopus Panic has already run external playtests and wants more players in the loop before and during Early Access. Steam’s store page includes a Join the GravHounds Playtest module: request access and you get notified when the developer is ready for more participants. That is the official door. This page tells you how to use it, what it is not, and which wiki guides to read while you wait.

If you only want the November 2 Game Preview, you may never need a playtest key. Read Early Access and platforms. If you want a possible earlier shift, stay here. The dated September 2026 wave (11–15 September, limited invites, extra Discord keys) is recapped on Playtests Are Underway.

Steam request access

1. Open the Steam store page while logged in.
2. Use the playtest request control on that page. This wiki does not host a key form.
3. Wait. “Request” is not “install.” The studio decides when a wave fires.
4. Keep the client updated so a grant can actually download.

There is no public promise that every request is accepted. Small-team playtests are waves, not a parade.

Discord and other listening posts

Steam lists discord.gg/gravhounds as support. Press quotes say feedback will also come from Steam discussions, playtests, and surveys. Join Discord for pings, not for a stranger DMing you a “free alpha.” Official links exist so you can check the URL twice.

Xbox Game Pass does not replace the Steam playtest. They are different pipes. A Game Pass subscriber still waits for November 2 unless they also get a Steam grant.

What gamescom was

Hall 7 ID@Xbox hands-on was a show floor. It is not running in your living room. Anyone selling leftover booth keys is not Octopus Panic. Recap on Gamescom 2026.

How to prepare if you do get in

Playtests are for the loop, not for a perfect tier list. Read:

• Getting Started so you do not stand still at the dropship.
• How to build so the first fabricator exists.
• Co-op if you are bringing friends who also got in.
• System requirements so the session is not a driver seminar.

NDA, if any, is defined by the Steam grant, not by this wiki. Do not paste unreleased numbers here and expect us to launder them into a guide.

Safety

• No third-party key shops.
• No “Gravhounds.exe” from a random drive folder.
• No Roblox place claiming to be the playtest. This is a PC/Xbox Unreal game.
• No trainers. You cannot unlock a beam that is already on every hound.

If a site promises instant access for a credit card, close it. If a Discord impersonates COSMO, leave it. Confirm URLs against Steam and gravhounds.com.

After you play

Send feedback where the studio asked: Discord, Steam discussions, in-test surveys. Useful notes are pipe feel, beam accidents, extract clarity, matchmaking, and performance — the things a seven-person team said they want. Less useful: demanding a 1.0 date. Track the public plan on Early Access.

While the queue spins, the Guides hub and crew roster still make you a better hire for COSMO. The planet will not grade your wait time.

If you never get a grant

That is normal. Play Game Preview on November 2 instead. The Early Access FAQ is written for you. Use the wait to learn How to build and to pick a hound from the crew. A denied request is not a failed job. COSMO will still have work in November.

If a wave does fire, screenshot your own bugs, do not steal someone else’s NDA clip for a thumbnail. This wiki will not host leaked build numbers. We will host the loop, the roster, and the store map. That is the useful kind of waiting.